Most Paris games, including this one, were eventually relocated to Stade Buffalo, the league's preferred venue, after it fought back lobbying efforts by the French Rugby Union to bar them access.

[8] The Castleford players, mostly small-town, working-class men, were apparently delighted with the invitation to visit Paris, as the majority of the non-internationals were said to have never traveled outside of the United Kingdom.

The English side was viewed as a surprise Challenge Cup winner while Lyon, although still inexperienced in the new code, was a top French team, evening the odds somewhat.

After their narrow defeat against Castleford, Pansera and his players staged a drunken, impromptu parade of the newly minted national cup through the Montmartre district, on their way to the headquarters of sports daily L'Auto, where they used it to serve Champagne to the staff.

Right after Castleford temporarily lost Adams on a hit, Arthur Atkinson intercepted the ball deep into the French zone managed to score the try, which was converted.

[9][15] But the English also showed unexpected flair, and third line player Edward "Ted" Sadler was deemed the best man on the field thanks to his combination of skill and athleticism.

[20] However, the standard of play was praised, with Le Jour calling the game the best seen in Paris all year,[20] and La Dépêche's correspondent pointing that it belied the accusations of some rugby league detractors about its lack of physicality, and was anything but an exhibition.

[15] Castleford captain Atkinson was magnanimous in victory, declaring after the game that his squad "did not expect to find in Lyon-Villeurbanne such a brilliant team", although he "nonetheless found the backline superior to the forwards", who "[did] not yet possess the Brittons' experience when its comes to playing scrums".

Although Edouard Bardon, writing for Le Jour, thought that the refereeing was too by-the-book, he did not find it in error, and decried that "the public, sadly, did not give as good a showing as the players", blaming its ire on a lack of understanding of the new code's rules.

"[21] Jean de Lascoumettes, sports editor for L'Intransigeant, penned an opinion piece the day after the game, saying: "We are troubled to see—and hear—people ignorant of the rules of neo-rugby go after a referee who was there precisely to see them followed.

[1] Fullback: Henri Marty Threequarters: René Barnoud, Antonin Barbazanges, Gaston Amila, Laurent Lambert Halfbacks: Charles Mathon (c), Robert Samatan Forwards: Gustave Genevet, ?

Barcella, Paul Piany, Lucien Lafond, Auguste Anclades, Joseph Perrin Fullback: George Lewis Threequarters: Bernard Cunniffe, Arthur Atkinson (c), James "Jim" A. Croston, Tom Askin Halfbacks: William H. Davies, Leslie "Les" Adams Forwards: Edward Sadler, James Crossley, Frank Smith Sr., Patrick B. McManus, Harold Haley, Thomas "Tommy" L. Taylor The contest was originally supposed to be an annual event, featuring the current holders of France and England's knockout cups.